Victoria’s Summer European Challenge has begun! Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!
Every weekend, through the summer holidays, I’m going to be visiting a European city.
The sun was shining, the people were lovely, and even though I missed my coach-bus connection and spent double the amount of money that I hadn’t budgeted, I very much enjoyed visiting Copenhagen!
It has to be said that even though this blog is about culture, history, and travels around the world, I also enjoy writing about food. Here are food posts that I wrote in the past:
So without further ado, let’s talk about Danish food otherwise known as Nordic food!
Here we go!
WHAT IS DANISH FOOD, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS NORDIC FOOD!?
Nordic food is defined as food developed in the Nordic countries and Scandinavia. Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!
Nordic food is defined as food developed in the Nordic countries and Scandinavia.
Nordic countries are countries in the geographical and cultural region of Northern Europe and the North Atlantic.
Nordic countries are countries in the geographical and cultural region of Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, otherwise known as Norden or “The North!” These countries would be Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including their associated territories – Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands.
Scandinavia is defined as a historical and cultural region in Northern Europe characterized by ethno-cultural North Germanic heritage. Such countries would be Denmark, Norway and Sweden!
In fact, I found that even though I couldn’t understand the Danish language, I could understand it when I read it, as it’s somewhat similar to German, as is the Dutch language. In Holland!
Nordic countries are similar in their way of life, history, language and social structure as well as weather!
New Nordic Cuisine! Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!
In 2004, these countries have come together to promote what is known as New Nordic Cuisine.
New Nordic Cuisine is food that promotes local, natural and seasonal produce, using local ingredients, in combination with traditional food, prepared in new ways and preservation techniques such as drying, fermenting, smoking, salting, pickling and preserving meat, vegetables, fruits and fish, that have for centuries enabled people to survive the long, dark winters of the Nordic region!
The person who put Nordic food on the international map was René Redzepi – the founder and brain behind NOMA – the world’s best restaurant located in an 18th century waterfront building in Christianshavn, on the other side of the harbor!
Myself at NOMA – the number 1 best restaurant in the world!
It is No. 1 on the list of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” unseating the El Bulli restaurant in Spain, causing a media frenzy, and initiating more than 100,000 reservation requests within just a few days!
René Redzepi – the man who turned Danish food upside down!
René is that man who turned Danish food upside down, and invented and popularized the idea of Nordic cuisine, taking what was originally just a pastry, bread and cod nation, into the path of international gastronomy and cuisine!
Getting a table at Noma is near impossible, but the best way to get a shot is to call and see if there are cancellations for lunch, as the same menu is served all day long.
Sadly, we only had an extremely limited amount of time in Copenhagen, and couldn’t afford to wait, but if you’ve got a few more days, go ahead and try your luck!
Denmark used to be a barren remote wasteland & a place of isolation.
One thinks of a barren remote wasteland. A place of isolation. A territory where nothing grows, except for such delights as seafood, bread and salted cod, accompanied by stolen wine drunk in skulls, and some sort of home-made vodka!
However, Danish food has been upgraded and revitalized.
Here we go!
TOP 9 REASONS WHY DANISH FOOD ISN’T JUST SMORREBROD, SEASONAL BERRIES & HERBS!
Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!
The Nordic Food Movement has introduced a rediscovery of ingredients, creative adaptation of raw materials, new approaches to traditional techniques, and a way to integrate food and natural flavour into todays’ healthy organic gourmet hipster lifestyle!
Here are nine (9) reasons why:
SEAFOOD such as:
Seafood such as cap-horn mussels!
raw razor clams with parsley jelly, buttermilk snow and horseradish
lobster
turbot roe and vinegar dust
mussels with buttermilk and green strawberries
lumpsucker roe
Danish Fjord Shrimp
cod
pike
herring
MEAT such as:
Meat such as venison!
hand-sliced beef tartar served with crushed juniper and a tarragon emulsion
grouse breast with blueberry sauce
a venison sandwich with bacon, chestnut creme fraiche, and lingonberry jam
fried bacon with ramsons and grilled cucumber
curls of raw, bright-red semi-frozen veal
fried chicken liver with beetroot tartar
tartare of musk ox
roast leg of lamb
rabbit
SAVOURY DISHES such as:
Savoury dishes such as puffin eggs!
puffin eggs
blodpølse or black pudding
finker or Danish haggis!
creamy pearl barley with St. George’s mushrooms, pickled onions and grated cheese
Lindström patties with pickled beets, capers, horseradish and chives, served with pan‑fried potatoes and mangetout
Potato and leek soup with lumpfish roe and sour cream
hokkaido soup with parsley oil and honey roasted pumpkin seeds
nettle soup
rye beer chips with chive skyr
FRUIT such as:
Fruit such as rhubarb compote & berries!
pears poached in mulled wine accompanied by a gateau riche
toasted hardanger apples
hawthorne berries
rosehip
cloudberries
green strawberries
rhubarb compote
blueberries
lingonberries
VEGETABLES such as:
Vegetables such as vintage carrot and camomile!
white asparagus with poached egg yolk and woodruff sauce
purple borecole salad with baked celeriac and apple corns
hot kale salad with dates and capers
potato soup with nettles
brussel sprout salad and onion relish
vintage carrot and camomile
birch-smoked marrow
beetroot tartar
wild sorrel
HERBS & SPICES such as:
Herbs and spices such as chamomile!
ramson shoots and buds
salsify flowers
parsley jelly
horseradish
chamomile
pine needle
dried algae powder
oyster plant
cicely
BREAD & PASTRIES such as:
Bread & pastries such as smørrebrød!
smørrebrød or open-faced sandwich!
wienerbrød or Danish pastry!
øllebrød or rye bread
rugbrød or sour bread
ymerdrys or junket crumble of grated rye bread and brown sugar
cardamom buns
pariserbøf or minced beef patty, fried egg, onion, capers and pickled beetroot on rye bread!
stjerneskud or fish fillet with shrimps, caviar and tomato slices on white bread!
rugbrød med leverpostej or rye bread with liverpâté!
DESSERT such as:
Dessert such as rødgrød med fløde or red groats!
blueberry mousse with lemon foam
kladdkaka or Swedish chocolate cake
cookies layered with veal speck and dried currant garnished with single fresh pine buds!
savory Æbleskiver or aebleskiver pancake puffs dusted with vinegar powder and served with pickled cucumber marmalade
rødgrød med fløde or red groats
rhubarb merengue
Skyr panna cotta with berries and liquorice
Flødeboller or teacake
skumbananer or banana flavoured marshmallow covered in chocolate!
Mexico Week at KaDeWe will take place from 15.08.16 – 03.09.16, to introduce Mexico’s culinary diversity. Mexican food producers will present authentic foods, beverages and ingredients, many of them available in Germany, for the very first time!
I’ll be attending a media walkthrough on 18.08.16. Holaaaaa!
The Pop Kultur Festival is a new festival based in hipster Neukölln, over three (3) exciting days of new international and German bands, live concerts, performances, talks and reading, taking place from 31.08.16 – 02.09.16.
Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!
Have you ever had a smørrebrød? Would you try Danish or Nordic food? Have your say!
See you in Berlin.
If you like this post or if you have any questions send me a tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on Linkedin, make a comment below, look for me on Google+ or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com
21 Comments on “Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!”
Danish food has definitely evolved just during the last decade but puffin eggs? In Denmark? I don’t think I’ve ever recalled seeing a puffin in Denmark, but in the Faroe Islands it’s common to eat both the eggs and the birds:)
What a shame you missed Noma, it’s quite an experience.
Yep! Danish food today is amazing and you’re right, puffin eggs are not from Denmark but from Iceland! All part of the Nordic food cult lol!
p.s. I was sorry to miss Noma but I think it’s something that I would like to do with my husband – The Music Producer – rather than my son! 🙂
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I'm a British girl from Manchester living in Berlin with my German husband and my half British – half German son.
My blog is a lifestyle expat travel blog and puts a focus on my promotion of culture, history, travels around the world, Europe, Brexit, the Royal Family, British-German life and being British in Berlin - I am The British Berliner!
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Danish food has definitely evolved just during the last decade but puffin eggs? In Denmark? I don’t think I’ve ever recalled seeing a puffin in Denmark, but in the Faroe Islands it’s common to eat both the eggs and the birds:)
What a shame you missed Noma, it’s quite an experience.
Thanks so much Mitzie Mee!
Yep! Danish food today is amazing and you’re right, puffin eggs are not from Denmark but from Iceland! All part of the Nordic food cult lol!
p.s. I was sorry to miss Noma but I think it’s something that I would like to do with my husband – The Music Producer – rather than my son! 🙂
This is a real foodporn, girl! Pelmeni served with sour in Latvia beats every single Danish meal in my opinion! 😛 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks so much Agness!
I so much enjoy writing about food. And shhh. You’re right!! 🙂
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this post just made me miss scandinavia hard-core. 🙁
Thanks so much Megan!
Me too! I can’t wait to go back again, and to visit the other Nordic nations. Norway perhaps…..!! 🙂
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